Picture the scene—Pablo Picasso, the most famous artist on the planet, so dripping in talent and notoriety that even his signature was worth more than actual money. The man could scribble his name on a napkin, and it would instantly be more valuable than the meal he'd just eaten. Cheques? Oh, forget it. No restaurateur in their right mind would cash one of those when they could frame it and retire early instead. And on the off chance that he felt particularly generous, he might throw in a little doodle—essentially turning a simple transaction into an instant masterpiece.

This brings us to a cracking little tale involving British artist John Marshall—better known as the “Cowman” because, well, he exclusively paints cows. Or at least, he did. That was until he decided to abandon his beloved bovine muses in favor of capturing Picasso himself. And why? Because of a family legend.

Marshall’s grandfather, a humble publican, once had an encounter with the great Spanish artist, an encounter that left such an impression it inspired his grandson to swap cows for Cubism, at least for a little while. And when Picasso is involved, you just know the story’s going to be a good one...